They Only Come Out at Night
by Angelus Erreare
Summary: Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga The inspiration behind Gale's creative battle plans and strategies. WARNING: SEMIAU, LANGUAGE, LEMON, SLIGHT SADISM and VIOLENCE. GALE x ARGILLA. COMPLETE!
1. Mysterious Mastermind

**They Only Come Out at Night**

**By: Angelus Erreare **

**Disclaimer: All the characters featured in this fanfic belong to ATLUS USA. I own nothing. **

**A/N: This is another fic that is dedicated to my nutty and beautiful friend KuDu. I hope you like it. **

**WARNING: SEMI-AU, OOC, LANGUAGE, LEMON**

**Chapter 1: Mysterious Mastermind**

xxxxx

Cielo grumbled and groaned, "Oh mon…Why are you punishing us dis way?!"

Heat narrowed his eyes at the green-haired man, "What the fuck is this Gale?"

Gale rolled his eyes as he continued to distribute the files to his teammates. Argilla and Serph had been no problem. They had accepted the files without question and were now scrutinizing it carefully, their noses buried within its pages diligently.

But Heat and Cielo on the other hand…

"You didn't answer my question chicken shit!" growled Heat, dangerously glaring at Gale who looked at him impassively, his eyes cold.

Gale bade his time and sat down at the table, facing Heat and Argilla, in between Serph and Cielo. He rolled his eyes, "If you would just bother to read its contents like Serph and Argilla, I am certain that you would find the answer to your question."

Argilla giggled and nudged Heat on his elbow.

"Shut up woman!" he growled at her, releasing his frustration on her.

He wasn't in luck though; the whole table soon followed.

"This is the newest training manual that I had devised." came Gale's voice, interrupting the lively chuckle that reverberated through the strategy room.

Cielo immediately flailed his hands upwards, his sapphire eyes at the ceiling, "Why oh why?" he whined, "Don't we have enough training already?!"

Serph chuckled at his childish behavior, "If we did, we would've won already."

Heat snarled at that and looked at Cielo with an evil smirk, "What's the matter? Chickening out?"

Cielo glared at him, "Well, it's not like you're any better!"

Heat immediately stood up, "You son-of-a-!"

"That's enough Heat!" Argilla yelled, grabbing his arm, forcing him to sit back down.

Gale and Serph rolled their eyes. Serph sighed, "Okay kids. That's enough. Time to get back to business. Gale," he paused, turning to look at the emerald-eyed man, "you were telling us about the new training manual."

Gale nodded, "Yes. Well, this is the updated version of our current war strategies…We have devised a-"

"Who's we?" interrupted Cielo audaciously; his blue eyes peering at Gale's emerald eyes curiously.

Here, the rest of the table was interested to know. Gale had always devised their strategies and battle plans single-handedly, and now he tells them that he had assistance? That was strange.

Something was up.

Heat raised an eyebrow, "Yeah old man, who's 'we'?"

Serph, who had been unfazed throughout the entire discussion, looked intently at the man beside him. Even if he had not said anything, his eyes divulged all that he wanted to convey; he wanted to know who it was as well.

Gale blinked, "Did I say 'we'? I meant 'I'."

Heat laughed. Wait. Did he laugh? Or did he roar?

Argilla couldn't tell. But she chuckled anyway. She too was eager to know what would happen next…

"Don't give me that crappy excuse old man! You said 'we'!" Heat said, looking at Gale accusingly.

Cielo scratched his head, "I hate to agree with de stupid one, but I have to admit…dat you did say 'we' mon. Come on ja? We won't tell…" Cielo finished, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Here, Serph and Argilla just burst out laughing. Who would've thought that Heat and Cielo would team up to corner Gale, trapping him in a conversational box; his own forte, mind bungling interrogation?

Serph grinned at Argilla and then at Gale, expecting his comrade to break down and crumble at the invisible pressure that his teammates had been pouring on him.

Gale merely looked at all of them, disinterested, "I do not know where you all had your notion of me saying 'we' when I clearly heard myself distinctly say 'I'. We are here to discuss an imperative and crucial part of our battle strategy and you are all too preoccupied at trivial things such as speculating me of collaborating with someone else. Seeing you all this way had not only disappointed me at your lack of military discipline but also had bolstered my resolve to implement this new training protocols ASAP."

Serph chuckled, crossing his arms, shaking his head while closing his eyes. Gale was pretty impressive. Not only did he manage to squeeze himself out of a very small hole of salvation, but he also managed to make his accusers, who were, by the way, telling the truth about the whole 'we' and 'I' thing, look like total incompetent idiots.

Yes. They weren't hearing things. They weren't lying either. Gale really did say "we" and not "I".

He suddenly heard a muttered "Sorry mon." from Cielo and a growl of "Whatever." from Heat and a guilty sigh from their only female companion, Argilla.

He was truly impressed.

That was all the more reason for him to find out who this person Gale had been "collaborating" with.

xxxxx

"That was a close one today…"

Gale sighed, "I know."

"You know, they'd find out sooner or later."

"I know."

The woman beside him chuckled, "But…I suppose this is more fun hmm?" she giggled, kissing his bare chest playfully.

Gale closed his eyes, "It's not about fun."

She sighed as she draped an arm over his bare torso, pulling her naked body closer to him. She knew what he was feeling…

He really didn't want to tell anyone about them simply because…he knew that he and she would receive an earful from their comrades; not to mention, endless publicity and endless jokes about how he had been able to pull something like this off.

She sighed; clearly, this sort of thing, having a lover, was something that was out of character for Gale.

For crying out loud, the guy was considered to be the human ice cube. How would people fare knowing that he suddenly relinquished his cold and wicked ways to settle for something more passionate and heated such as a secret sexual relationship?

For someone like Gale, such a notion was ludicrous and unheard of. But hey, they were wrong. She was there with him, wasn't she?

"I don't suppose that they are ready to know about us…" he trailed off without emotion.

She smiled in the dark. If she had not known him the way she did, she may have been offended by what he said and the way he said it…But seeing that she did know him, rather intimately, she understood and empathized with him…

It was just him. Being cold was a part of who he was…It wasn't a bad thing per se…

If tomorrow he suddenly decided to be a party animal like Cielo and started to prance around like the village idiot, well, he wouldn't be Gale anymore. He wouldn't be the Gale that she well knew and loved…

She could feel the sadness and regret that was welling up from within him. She wanted so much to make it all go away…

She then sat up. Gale arched an eyebrow, "Where are you going?"

She grinned at him, baring her pearly white teeth and straddled him, her palms on either side of his face as she loomed dangerously close to him, their faces an inch apart. She whispered against his lips, "Nowhere…"

Her lips then slowly descended upon his and she slowly kissed him, nibbling on his lips that remained shut. He was being difficult…He was always like this when he had something heavy weighing on his shoulders…Well, this was the only thing that she could do to ease his mind and heart…

She let her tongue flick his lips sensually, shyly asking him for permission. She felt him say yes as he opened his lips and felt his hands on her waist…traveling downwards to her shapely buttocks.

Soon, she was already kissing him fully with him arduously responding. A moment later, she pulled away and positioned herself just above his manhood, who had by now, had been quite attentive.

Then, another moment later, she eased herself on his stiff shaft, openly moaning, "Oh Gale…!"

Gale grabbed her hips to keep her in place as she began to ride him…

Soon the bed rocked back and forth as she aggressively and passionately moved, swaying her body right along with his…She threw her head back, closing her eyes, panting heavily, "Oh…Gale…"

Gale had his eyes shut as he fought back the incessant call of the oblivion in his ears…No…he would not enter nirvana yet…No…not yet…

He could feel his body heat up and hers as well. Her legs on either side of him were glistened in sweat and it molded their skin together…And there…he heard it. She was panting…She was tired, oh so tired…

The minutes ticked painfully by, neither giving up…

But then, the inevitable came…She eased herself on him as she reached her climax, but not getting there before he did…Oh no. They had promised to walk through the gates of paradise together. And now, they had done just that.

"Gale…!!!" she screamed.

"A-Argilla…!" he huskily grunted.

xxxxx

Cielo grumbled as he buried his face in his hands. He had just finished rereading Gale's newest training manual. Not that he didn't understand it the first time it was explained to him. No. Not at all.

It had been days since the implementation of the new warfare strategies. Gale had called it the Trench System.

There, outside of Muladhara, a mile away from the city to be exact, they had set up elaborate trenches that were seven feet deep and six feet wide. They weren't designed or dug in a straight line though. Oh no. If the enemy managed to penetrate their trenches, they would get a clear shot for the soldiers within. No, no. It was more like an elaborate maze.

He wasn't thrilled though. He had been ordered to spend two days and two nights within the trench and within the occasional dugouts when it was unoccupied. It was training for the real thing, they said.

He had been assigned to fill up sandbags for the parapet and the parados of the trench. He frowned at the memory. He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.

The trenches would protect Muladhara from a ground assault. And seeing that they had dug their trenches on high ground, and that it was raining, it was going to be difficult for enemies to launch their offensive since the wet weather had made the soil damp and severely muddy; a rather large impediment. And then, there were also the machine-gun posts for support. That wasn't what got Cielo though…It was the thought of _sleeping_ there.

There, on that filthy, cold and muddy place, all huddled together, with no space to stretch or to move. It was like being a canned sardine! Well, there went his beauty sleep.

But still, who could sleep when the ground in which you slept could be blown into oblivion at any moment?

'Not me.' Cielo thought sourly.

Well, in short, Cielo didn't like the trenches. He didn't like the Trench System.

This was a new type of warfare for them. It had never been done in the Junkland. And so, there lingered feelings of inefficiency within his stomach.

'Am I doing dis right?' he asked himself.

Suddenly, he found himself back in square one.

Right. He, like everyone else had to be up for the morning drills at 0500 hours. That meant that he really didn't have the time to prepare either. Since they were there on the trench, there was no bathroom, no mess hall, no nothing. They had to get by as if they had been cut off from HQ altogether.

"But I need my sleep ja?!" he whined to himself, "I need to wash and brush my teeth!"

But, within Gale's new training manual, such things didn't have a place there. They were considered as nothing but frivolities. A real soldier was to fight and eliminate all military threats. They didn't have time to perm their hair or brush their teeth. All they needed was a rifle or a machine gun and a good aim. That was all.

Gale had also said that this was also to serve as endurance training…

Cielo raised an eyebrow. Gale.

Suddenly, he remembered two things. One. He wasn't the only one going to be doing this. Maybe it was time to ask his teammates what they thought of this new manual. With any luck, they could appeal to Gale or possibly to Serph, to override Gale's orders or modify Gale's harsh training schedules…

Two. The "we" thing. No. It was not diluted out of Cielo's system. Not by a long shot. It was still fresh in his mind. And it was becoming a vexing and incessant gnawing feeling within his gut; the incessant feeling to know.

He needed to know.

Having the sudden feeling of invigoration, he made to look for his teammates. He had just finished serving his two day and two night duty at the trench. And now, he was just glad to be back at Muladhara.

He walked the streets and gave off a sigh of relief. He let his sapphire eyes glaze through the tall buildings, intently gazing at each and every one of them…as if to memorize them…He smiled.

'For a while dere, I thought I wasn't going to come back here ja?'

Soon, he saw his barrack and smiled to see Argilla and Heat in one of their "conversations".

Cielo sneered at that; that was, if bickering and swearing at one another could be called as a conversation.

He walked up to the two, "Hey guys! Whatcha two up to?"

Heat and Argilla ignored the shorter man and continued to glare at one another. Cielo scratched his head, "Hey…um…dere's no need for dat ja?" getting in between the two, full knowing the risk that he was putting himself in.

Argilla pulled herself away from Heat's death glare and looked at Cielo, "What is it Cielo?" she asked, completely composed, not an ounce of annoyance or anger imbedded in her voice.

Heat sneered and looked away from her, darting his attention to the newcomer, "Yeah? Well, what the hell do you want?"

Cielo sweat dropped. But nonetheless, he had something to ask his teammates; something important. He took a deep breath, "Er…Is it just me or do you guys think dat dese training crap is too strict ja? I mean…look at all de work dat we have to do!"

Heat laughed, "Why? Too tough for a sissy boy like you?"

Cielo glared at him and opened his mouth to speak when Argilla put a hand on his shoulder, "Come on Cielo. It isn't that bad right? Besides, Gale is just doing this so that we can win the war! It's not a bad thing…"

Cielo pouted; she had that effect on him. Whenever she'd talk to him that way, he always used to just give up and go along with whatever new rule that they had…

And now, she was doing it again. And again, he could feel his resolve to question the new protocols waver. Her voice, again, brought him back to the present, "Well, I better get going. According to Gale's manual I have new exercises to do. See you later guys."

And with that, she was off. Cielo looked on after her, not realizing that he was actually alone with Heat.

"She's such a damn wimp."

An idea suddenly popped in Cielo's head. Heat! He was still there! He was against the whole thing too! Well, not exactly "against" but rather, he questioned the protocols…

Heat might be able to help him!

"Say, uh, brudda," Cielo began, wanting to lightly get Heat's attention, who was still eyeing the retreating back of their female comrade.

"What?" Heat suddenly asked, his eyes burning holes through Cielo's face.

Cielo laughed nervously, "Hehehe…er…Remember de protocols?"

Heat rolled his eyes; what the hell was up with this idiot? Couldn't he just hurry up and say whatever it was he wanted to say? He was stammering and it was getting quite annoying.

"Yeah…well, aren't dey a bit too much?" Cielo timidly asked.

Heat snorted, "What? Are you being like Argilla now? You're acting like a damn woman!"

Cielo glared, "Am not! Look, you said something about dat too; dat morning two days back! Besides! I wanna know who's been making dese plans with Gale ja?!"

Heat blinked; he hadn't expected Cielo to lash out at him that way. He had never heard Cielo to raise his voice the way he did just now…He was surprised.

But what surprised him even more was that he had been thinking of the exact same thing. It wasn't that they doubted Gale's new plans…It was just that the change came on too fast, too sudden, too strong that they weren't the least prepared for it…

The change came, in a word, overnight.

The Trench System was something that was completely unexpected. It had popped up on that day and on that day only; not the day before or any other day before that. It was as if the discovery had come to him as a profound realization the night before the briefing…It was…uncanny.

And then there was the mix-up in that morning about the "we" and "I" thing. Heat wasn't the type to dwell on silly on-the-table conversations…But that morning, a few days ago, he knew that something was up with Gale.

It would make perfect sense though as to how the sudden change in their war plans took place. If he had been sharing his ideas with someone else or that someone else had been influencing his ideas, it would be easier to formulate a plan…

But Gale had always worked alone…What changed?

Cielo had a valid point. He didn't like the protocols. Heat on the other hand was fine with them. But what he wanted to know was-who was it that Gale had been speaking to? Which coincides with Cielo's complaint. He wanted to know who had been making the plans with Gale so that he will know who was responsible for making his life hell.

"I know he said 'we' ja?" Cielo said, his eyes openly glaring at him, "I wanna know who's making dese plans!"

Heat smirked, "You read my mind."

xxxxx

The two made their way towards Serph's office. Cielo had wanted to include Argilla in the group but Heat had been sour about it. He said that he didn't want to be near the woman for the time being.

Cielo would've insisted but he was sure that Heat would abandon their "covert" operations should he insist that Argilla be there.

Heat didn't want her there. It was as simple as that. Cielo would just have to ride it out then.

'He's still probably bitter about deir conversation today.' Cielo thought knowingly, remembering the tense and explosive moment that Heat and Argilla had shared.

The two stopped as they reached their leader's office. Heat knocked, "Open up!"

Cielo sweat-dropped. And there, he thought that Heat was going to be polite. He supposed that he expected too much.

The doors slid open and the two walked in.

Serph raised an eyebrow at them, "What is it ladies? Aren't you two supposed to be at your designated duties?"

Heat growled and slammed his palms on their leader's desk, "Cut the crap Serph. We all know that Gale made those plans with someone. We want to know who that person is."

Serph looked at them nonchalantly, "So? What of it?"

Cielo whined, "Dese schedules are harsh mon! I wouldn't even get enough sleep or meal time!"

Serph leaned back on his chair, "Let me get this straight. You want me to override Gale's authority over you so that we may find out who he's been formulating these plans with. And you want to do that because…you both think that the training protocols are too much to handle?" he finished with sarcasm and disbelief.

"In other words, you want me to talk to Gale to loosen up these protocols because they're too hard to follow?"

Heat wanted to strangle Cielo right there. Cielo's statements had made their plea sound completely ludicrous to Serph. How was he to grant them what they asked now? This was the army for Christ's sake! They were supposed to experience hardships and have their physical, emotional and psychological prowess tested! And now Cielo was going to go over to their tribe leader and request an alteration of a protocol simply because it was "too hard"?!

Serph was completely missing the point!

Heat growled and shoved Cielo away, standing right in front of Serph, "Look. It's not about being hard or difficult damn it! I don't care about that! Gale had always formulated plans on his own. Why did he change now?"

Heat grinned inwardly as he saw a flash of skepticism within his leader's eyes; skepticism towards Gale.

"The question is, who changed him? What if he's in cahoots with the other tribes hm? And the fact that he's hiding it from us! You aren't deaf are you bastard?" Heat asked, taunting him.

"You know that he said 'we' that morning at the strategy room and not 'I'! He's hiding something! And if he's just using these protocols to keep us busy while exposing our soldiers to attacks…! Well, you already know what that means right?"

Cielo couldn't believe it! Heat actually took a farfetched idea and stretched it wide open for Serph to view as a valid allegation! Why didn't he think of that?

They wanted Gale investigated right? What better excuse to investigate someone when they were under the pretext of being a double agent?

"Is that so?" came Serph's cold tone.

xxxxx

**A/N: **

**Parapets**: The front of the trench, facing the enemy was known as the parapet. It is protected by three feet of sandbags designed to absorb bullets and shells.

**Parados**: The rear side of the trench, which is piled with three feet of sandbags designed to absorb gun fire bullets and shells. This is built higher than the parapet so that the soldiers aren't outlined with the sky, making them easy targets for enemy snipers.

**Dugouts**: Protective holes dug out of the sides of trenches. The size of dugouts varied a great deal and sometimes could house over ten men.


	2. Endurance Training

**A/N: Disclaimer: Refer back to Chapter 1. **

**WARNING: OOC, LANGUAGE, LEMON, SLIGHT SADISM and VIOLENCE**

**Chapter 2: Endurance Training**

"Is this really necessary Gale?" a female voice asked.

A chuckle reverberated through the room. The woman's hair stood on one end. She couldn't see…She didn't know where he was…And her position was unnerving her.

There she was, with her hands cuffed behind her back and her eyes blindfolded, standing in the middle of his room. She growled. She didn't know where Gale would be.

Her heart beat erratically as she perked up her ears, listening for any and every noise or sound that would pass through the room.

There! She heard his light footsteps!

Behind her!

Mustering up her strength, she pulled her bound hands apart, breaking the handcuffs that bound them together and threw a punch into the air.

She cursed herself; nothing but air.

She missed.

Her assumption wasn't without foundation as she felt a pair of hands on her own, calming them down and his warm body pressed against hers from behind…She moaned and let her body relinquish its alert countenance, replaced by a soothed demeanor.

Soon, she felt a pair of warm and moist lips on her neck. Tilting her head to the side, she let him nip on the aforesaid skin without restraint, "Gale…"

His hands traveled from holding her hands and slid up and down her arms, leaving electric sensations in its wake.

And then, a moment later, he was gone again. She growled, "Gale!! That wasn't fair!"

Suddenly, she heard his voice echoing in the room, "Why? This is merely a training exercise…Besides, there is no 'fair' or 'unfair' in war. You know that."

She was beginning to lose her patience, "But I can't see you!"

She heard him chuckle, "That's precisely the point!"

There! On the left! Or was it on the right? A foot away?

'Damn…!' she cursed herself, 'Gotta focus…'

She forced herself to calm down and again listen to any and every sort of noise or sound within the room…

"Shit!" she cursed as she had undoubtedly failed as she felt herself roughly pressed against the wall; her chest, face and palms on the wall. He was right behind her.

"It looks like you can still use some training…" she heard him drawl, his breath on her cheek.

"G-get off me Gale!" she seethed in fury. How dare he do this? How dare he win?!

"Why? I won this round…"

"Because you had an unfair advantage!" she growled which ended in a squeak as Gale licked and nipped her earlobe. She struggled against him, squirming and turning her body left and right but all efforts were fruitless as he used his full body weight to hold her in place…

"You-you haven't won yet!" she seethed through gritted teeth.

"Oh? Haven't I?" he taunted evenly, his voice impassive and indifferent…But his actions and his lips were anything but impassive and indifferent.

No sooner than his words left his lips that he grabbed both of her wrists and had them behind her back. She wouldn't let him win that easily though as she elbowed him in his stomach and turned around, kneeing him where it really counted.

He saw it a mile away though and avoided her attack with ease and grabbed her arm again, twisting it, sending her to the ground with a soft thud. She was on her back now and groaned, "Not fair…"

She groaned again as she felt him on her, sitting on her abdomen, grabbing her wrists and pinning them along either side of her face.

She opened her mouth to protest but only found his lips and hungry tongue devouring hers instead…She was effectively blindfolded, bound and now, gagged.

'What will she do in this situation I wonder?' he asked himself, bemused.

He was surprised however as she did not do anything. She remained completely relaxed and still beneath him. Gale raised his eyebrow in skepticism. She was planning something. She then responded to his kiss, letting her tongue plunder his mouth, lashing out angrily albeit passionately against his…

He could feel his iron wall of resolve beginning to weaken as she kissed him, her body heat oozing from her and entering his body…

She moaned sensuously beneath him.

Gale stiffened as he felt his manhood awaken at such a sound…such a melodious sound…Wanting to bring her test up a higher level, he suddenly grabbed her jacket and tore it from her body. She growled in response, "I needed that!"

"Not in an enemy's prison cell you won't." he replied, reminding her of the possibilities should she be captured by another tribe.

His large and calloused hands wandered over to her uniform as his lips continued to devour hers. His nimble fingers reached the zipper of her corset and slid it down carefully. She then let her fingers wander over to his shoulders and then to his head where his hood was. A moment later, she had off of him, threading her fingers through his smooth hair, massaging his scalp gently.

Gale groaned lightly as she massaged his scalp; her touch was so relaxing, so soothing…He groaned again as he felt electric jolts travel to his manhood. His uniform suddenly felt tight and hot. He really needed to get out of it.

Then, at that moment, time froze.

She moaned against his mouth…

Hot blood rushed throughout his body; the feeling of utter lust was fogging his senses…Nothing but lust reigned his body and mind…

He wanted to make her his…He wanted to make her beg for him…

Not wasting any more time, he pulled away from her lips and looked at her…He smiled. There she was, moaning beneath him with her luscious pink lips parted ever so slightly, a faint pink tinge on her cheeks, with a sinister blindfold over her bright eyes…

He felt another jolt of electricity enter and surge through his veins as he eyed her…She was helpless before him.

And he loved it.

But…

'She's not helpless enough…' he thought darkly, clearly not satisfied.

He wanted more; he needed more from her…He wanted her to hurt, to ache…but at the same time, he wanted her to feel pleasure and ecstasy.

He wanted her to feel pain…but at the same time, he wanted her to know, to realize that he was her only savior. He wanted her to understand with her heart and soul that he was the only one who would help her…He was her deliverer.

He was her deliverer from the agony that he himself would bestow upon her…

Argilla could feel nothing but excitement well up from within the bowels of her being. Gale's touches were driving her mad…

If only he would hurry up and fulfill her desires…

"Gale…please…"

"Please what?"

"I…I want you…" she moaned desperately.

Gale looked at her with impassive eyes and then resumed his task on her cumbersome uniform. Argilla's heart raced as she felt him fumble with the straps and the zippers of her uniform. She could clearly hear the rustling noises and she could practically feel his frustration…

A moment later, she found herself completely bare against him…She gasped as she felt his hand grab her plump breast, his wet tongue taking her nipple, nipping and suckling roughly. She writhed beneath him, letting her hands wander blindly. She found his head, still buried within her chest, and ran her fingers through his green hair.

Suddenly, it was all over. Again, she found herself alone. He was gone. Again. This was really getting out of hand. She sat up from the floor and hugged herself.

'Where are those damn clothes?! Damn Gale! Getting me all excited for nothing!' she screamed mentally.

Her hands reached for her blindfold but stopped as she felt another hand on her own, halting her movements.

She was beginning to hate him for doing that.

"Don't do that. Training isn't over."

"Well, what the hell do you want me to do?! We've been here half an hour already!" she yelled at him, turning her head to the side to ensure that he heard clearly what she had to say.

All that she heard was an amused chuckle, "Alright…"

Alright? What the hell did that even mean?

Suddenly she was flipped on her hands and knees, and there, she felt him within her. She groaned in both surprise and pleasure.

Gale groaned as he breathed in the stale air…He loved this feeling being buried within her…He loved being on her the way he was now…It was the position of pure and utter submission on her part…

She was his…

"Gale…" she moaned as she hung her head low, feeling dizzy with desire.

He moved frantically within her without reserve. Her mouth hung agape, letting saliva trail from her parted lips and onto her chin. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead and chest.

She didn't know why but as she was there, with him, with her eyesight temporarily nullified, she could _feel_ him a bit more. It was as if her other senses had been heightened!

Then, without warning, Gale grabbed her arms and pulled them on her back, resulting in her to fall on the floor, hitting the side of her face at the loss of support.

Gale chuckled as he saw her struggle, with her face on the floor…She must be hurting…But he didn't care…He wanted to see her this way…He loved seeing her helpless…and now, she really was helpless. There was nothing that she could do to alleviate herself of the discomfort and pain.

Only he can.

She needed to know…She needed to understand…that he was her only way out…

"What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled in agony…and at the same time, incomprehensible pleasure as he continued to slam himself forcefully within her.

A moment's diversion from her current state and it was all over. She didn't even realize it. Her hands, once more were bound with handcuffs.

Before she could question him, he chuckled, "I'm always prepared. I knew you'd break them. So, I always have an extra pair…"

"Lousy…"

Whatever nasty profane words that she was preparing to utter died and dissipated into the warm and stale air as they continued their wild dance…She groaned in pain as Gale pulled her wrists forcefully, forcing her body to move backwards…He was pulling too much!

Then, he moved even faster, ignoring her pleas…

"Feel this pain…?" he asked sensuously as he thrust hard within her, his one hand pulling at the cuff while his body bent towards hers, pressing their bodies further and tighter together, his other hand squeezing her breast painfully, causing bruises to form.

She gasped from the pain, "Oh God…"

"Do you feel this?" he rasped, his voice sensual and husky, pulling her tighter, squeezing her tighter…

"Y-yes…! Yes I do!" she moaned, half in pain and half in pleasure.

"This is just a taste of pain that you'll feel should you be captured…So, I suggest that you train harder." he finished impassively, but at the same time, lacing his words with honesty and belief.

She understood what he meant…

No longer entrusting their thoughts to words, the two turned to actions instead…Gale continued to ride her harder; occasionally reminding her of the importance and the significance of their dance…

Endurance.

Training.

Teamwork.

The two continued to moan and groan as they danced together. Gale's eyebrows creased together in mad concentration as he felt her tight walls squeeze his already engorged member. But somehow, it wasn't enough. He wanted more…

He cursed under his breath as he realized that he wasn't satisfied. Leaving the pulling of her cuffs to his left hand, his right hand went to stroke her tensed legs. She moaned as he touched her.

From there he let his fingers lightly touch her skin, trailing form her leg up to her thigh, near her buttocks. As he reached her buttocks, he suddenly struck her, earning him a strangled yelp, "Gale…!"

He laughed within; now, it was getting better. And so he hit her rear again, again and again, letting his handprint be etched onto her pearly white perfect skin…

'Too perfect…This isn't a soldier's skin…!' he thought knowingly.

He hit her again and there, he groaned, "A-Argilla…"

Her walls clenched and unclenched around his member. She was tight against him and he noticed her getting all the more wet and responsive as he'd hit her. So, he hit her again…

He gritted his teeth at the pressure that she sent him from within and there…he felt his body still steadily rise in temperature. His body was beginning to produce sweat that it made his spiked up hair damp, letting the strands fall limp.

Argilla didn't know what to feel or what to think as her lover continued to hurt her. Sure, it hurt, but at the same time, she was glad…She had never felt him so passionate, so arduous about their copulation before…

This was new to her…And although it was painful, it surprised her and scared her a bit to realize that she liked having this feeling…

She didn't mind that a little pain had been thrown in the game. On no. She was a soldier after all. She was used to physical injury…But this, this was different. This was suffering in the hands of someone she had given herself to…

Her partner, her other half…

'Gale…' she thought, breathing evenly. She would stiffen every once in a while, every time he'd hit her…But she didn't mind…She felt only bliss in his arms.

"There's only me Argilla!" he suddenly said, huskily, "There's only me to save you! Say it!" he commanded.

She yelped as he hit her as hard as he could, "There's only you!!" she screamed, "Only you!"

The pain only made their hard-earned release and bliss all the more meaningful…All the more powerful.

A moment later, Gale grunted, finding his inevitable release.

"A…Argilla…" he whispered into the air through gritted teeth, as if afraid to let anyone hear it.

But she heard it…

"Gale!!" she screamed and then groaned as she arrived at nirvana.

But she knew that it was a different sort of nirvana. Her current state had further amplified her feeling of bliss…And she didn't understand why. She should be distressed that her movements had been obstructed and that her eyesight had been hindered, but for some reason, she didn't feel that way at all…

Not having the strength to support both her body and his, her knees buckled and gave way, letting her lay on the floor with him still within her. He had done it. He was calm as before; he was himself again. His release within her had released not only his essence but also his barbaric sexual desires…

Yes, he considered them to be barbaric. It was completely preposterous for him to have those feelings; feelings of hurting the one he was with…But that was what he felt moments before…And now, he was free once more. And it was all thanks to her; to his secret lover.

He stroked her back and her arms affectionately before pulling out of her completely, "Well, that was a success." he stated composedly.

She raised an eyebrow, "A success? How?"

Gale pulled her against him, her chest against his, not taking off her blindfold or her handcuffs and instead lightly touched the aforesaid items, "I have completed my diagnosis."

"And?!" she growled, getting impatient.

"You are one of Embryon's best when it comes to espionage…Your senses are acute but this training had proved how poor you respond when one of your senses had been restricted." he told her impassively, lightly kissing her jugular.

"What?!"

"You had failed to predict my position numerous times and it resulted in your state being bound." he replied, unfazed, letting his hands now wander over her body…sliding from her flat belly up to her plump breasts, passionately fondling them.

"But I was blindfolded!" she said through gritted teeth; she was finding it almost impossible to remain professional with regards to their training when his naughty hands were making her squirm where she lay!

He nodded and ceased his hands' movements, "That's right. Since you were blindfolded, it was a safe assumption that because one sense had been restrained, that your brain would activate all of your nerve endings with regards to your other senses as a way to compensate for the lost sense of sight. Correct?"

She couldn't say anything. She was a bit disappointed that he stopped his ministrations…But then, as she really thought of their experiment, she was impressed. She was always amazed by his ideas…

"By that logic, it would mean that _because_ you were blindfolded, that you should have been able to hear my movements clearer than you had _before_ I blindfolded you. Thus, you should have been able to hear me a mile away, predict my position and retaliate accordingly. All of which you were _unable_ to do."

Looking at it from that logic, Gale was right. She had not been able to do anything once she was bound and blindfolded. She was as blind as a bat. But, unlike a bat, she had not honed any other skills to compensate for her lost eyesight.

Damn. Bloody damn.

She knew what that meant.

"I think I would put this under the altered version of the training manual. It is prudent."

She groaned; more training. They could always use more training anyway…

But still, "Isn't the trench system enough Gale?" she asked, whining a bit.

"Come on Argilla. The trench warfare is only for the offensive. It has nothing to do with hand-to-hand combat." Gale calmly replied.

"But! We have to dig all those trenches and place all those…barbwires up front…" she whined.

He chuckled, "Well, we want to win right? So, we all have to do what is best."

She suddenly stiffened. Gale raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"

She growled and mustering all of her strength, broke his second pair of handcuffs, "Someone's here!" she whispered to him.

xxxxx


	3. Out of the Bag

**A/N: Disclaimer: Refer back to Chapter 1. **

**WARNING: OOC, LANGUAGE**

**Chapter 3: Out of the Bag**

Three pairs of eyes eyed the two below them with shocked and widened eyes; so shocked that they each thought that their eyes would burst within its sockets.

So that was the person Gale had been "collaborating" with. They had expected anything and everything but this display. Never in a million years or in any weird or eccentric dimension did they ever suspect, even in the slightest that the woman before their eyes was involved with their cold green-haired comrade. And it wasn't just a normal relationship either…

It was an intimate and adventurous coupling. None of them had any idea that Gale could have been that _passionate_…No.

To them, he was incapable of even getting such thoughts…But according to what they had just bore witness to, they were proven mistaken.

They had underestimated their eccentric comrade…

And aside from underestimating his sexual prowess, they had underestimated his loyalty…

Their idea of Gale being in cahoots with other tribes all went up in smokes. He wasn't doing anything that was unlawful. He had merely chosen a…different way of experimentation. That was all.

And there they were panicking for nothing. And there they were looking like complete idiots up at the air ducts. And there they were looking like a group of perverted peeping toms.

Oh, for shame. Serph really was ashamed…How did he ever let himself be convinced by Heat and Cielo?! Of all people?

Heat couldn't move; he couldn't breathe.

He then smirked within, 'If that is a part of the new training manual as an endurance training, I'd definitely sign up…' he vowed silently as he gazed upon the Argilla's luscious and nude body and heard her desperate moans and groans.

Serph eyed Heat from the duct that they were in with concern. He knew that look that Heat was giving as he looked at the two engage in their…act. He himself was getting that feeling…but as leader, he needed to control himself.

He then looked at Cielo, his eyes were also glued to the oblivious couple below and his mouth was hanging agape.

Serph rolled his eyes and lightly shoved Cielo, "Hey! Don't get distracted. Heat!" he hissed at him.

He sympathized with his comrade, he really did…But this wasn't the time or the place to be thinking about such things.

Now, they had a covert mission to accomplish.

They had listened to Gale and had known him to be "experimenting" on an even newer training manual. And this was probably it.

They were experimenting on the combat performance of a soldier with a handicap on the senses.

And from they way they were speaking now, now that their…er, passionate albeit a bit violent act, had ended, it would seem that combat performance was poor. Seeing it from that perspective, Serph agreed with Gale. In all respects, their soldiers must be prepared for all eventualities after all; including what to do or how to fight when they lost a hand, an arm or had become blind.

What he didn't expect was that…he had actually received input from…

"Argilla…"

Serph raised an eyebrow; that was Heat. Heat was…moaning her name? Serph grinned, "What you wouldn't give to be in Gale's position right now."

Heat felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment and he glowered at his leader, "Shut the fuck up you bastard!"

Cielo cursed under his breath, "Shut up brudda! Dey could hear us!"

And hear them, Argilla did.

"Someone's here!" they heard her say.

Panic began to surface within Cielo's gut and he crawled backwards, "L-let's go mon!"

Serph cringed; Cielo had the tendency to panic and when he did, it was usually disastrous.

And right now, their situation was fragile. If Cielo panicked…

"Stop moving you idiot! The duct will-!"

Too late.

The three fell from the ducts as it collapsed and landed on the floor with a loud bang and thud.

xxxxx

Gale grabbed Argilla and moved as they heard the crash. The ducts were collapsing! Gale stood there, still holding Argilla, looking at the debris that had fallen.

Argilla removed her blindfold and screamed as she beheld the three people that crashed from the ceiling. She immediately pressed herself against Gale, in hopes of protecting some of her more private parts from their hungry stares…Most especially Heat's…

Gale understood and held the woman against him tightly. He looked at the three of them; at Heat, Serph and Cielo who were dusting themselves from the fall, but nonetheless, had their eyes fixed on him and Argilla.

"What the fuck are you guys doing here?!" she yelled, ashamed.

Heat snorted, "Not Gale, that's for sure."

Argilla glared at him as she understood his lame comeback. She looked at Serph and glared at him. She had expected something like this from Heat, but not from Serph.

Serph just scratched his head and looked at her apologetically. He nodded and began to walk out of the room, earning him questioning looks from both Cielo and Heat.

"I expect to see you two in my office in fifteen minutes. Heat, Cielo, let's go."

Heat's eyes widened, "But, but…!"

Serph rolled his eyes but kept walking, "I know you prefer to see her nude, but it isn't proper. Let's go."

"Wait up!" Cielo jogged up to his leader, leaving Gale and Argilla.

Argilla glared at Heat. He wanted to see her naked?! He was such a pervert!

"You heard Serph Heat! Get out!" she yelled at him, holding onto Gale tighter. Heat returned her glare passionately, muttering a few curses here and there as he stalked out of the trashed room.

Seeing that they were alone once more, the two broke apart. Argilla sighed, "Well…that was bad."

Gale blinked and looked at her expressionlessly, "I wouldn't say that. I am certain that Serph would understand my methods for experimentation and research. He may also end up as a supporter."

Argilla groaned, "Whatever. Let's just get ready."

"You're right."

Argilla made for her uniform but stopped as Gale touched her shoulder, "Argilla."

She turned around to look at him, "What is it?"

She didn't mean that. She already knew what he was going to say. The cat was out of the bag. The secret was out…They had nothing to hide now. She could feel the anxiety crawl up her spine originating from where his hand touched her shoulder.

She looked at him. He was calm. His face was soothed and none of his muscles were stressed…But it was his eyes that betrayed everything.

He was worried.

She cupped his face in her hands, "Nothing's going to happen."

"I know."

She smiled at him, "Well, come on, we have to get going."

A moment later, they were both fully clothed, except that Argilla was missing her jacket…He internally smirked; it was because of him anyway…

Oh well, he could always get her another one. She wouldn't miss it.

"Heat wants you." he deadpanned.

She giggled, "So?"

"And Cielo is fond of you."

"And?"

"Serph is quite taken with you."

Here, she gave him a bemused look, "Gale, I don't know what it has to do with us…Heat, Cielo and Serph are comrades…They like me, sure, but by now, they already know how things are between us…They wouldn't do anything to endanger that…" she told him convincingly, gazing deep within his uncertain emerald eyes.

"I…I am uncertain." he told her honestly.

She chuckled and drew his face near hers, "Well, I'm not. Gale, you're the one who stresses on teamwork…It's time to put that belief to the test."

Gale cast his head down. That was why he was cold in the first place. He wanted to create barriers around himself. He knew not some powerful emotions…such as love, but he knew what desire and camaraderie were. He was afraid to experience it for himself; he knew that it was painful.

But being with her made the pain easier to withstand. But even still, it was his insecure self that drove him to keep their relationship a secret. But now the secret was out.

It was time to face his fears about his insecurities and face the reactions of his comrades. It was time to put his belief on camaraderie to the test. She was right.

Argilla smiled at him still and kissed him lightly, "It's fine."

In that moment, something told him to believe her. And believe her he did. He allowed himself a small smile, "Yes. It'll do."

Argilla began to move away when Gale pulled her back. She looked at him with confused eyes, "What is it?"

He grinned, "Let me get the cuffs off you."

xxxxx

Gale walked in Serph's office with Argilla in tow calmly; his emotions now in check. So he had finally come to terms that their secret was out. Now, they had to face their comrades and their questions. And the fact that they had seen them in their…act was beyond the word "embarrassment". And seeing that it was beyond that word, there really wasn't any need to feel mortified. There really wasn't the need to prepare anyway.

'Why bother?' he asked himself, unfazed and uncaring, 'They had already seen everything of _everything_ anyway.'

There was no need to _prepare_ since there was nothing to _defend_.

After all, he had done nothing wrong. He had just been formulating possible training styles anyway.

And he had not forced anyone to do it with him either for that matter. Argilla had always been second to him as an Intelligence Officer. By the system of natural selection, she was easily the best candidate to assist him.

She didn't mind it either. And from the way that she had been responding to him, he would even dare to say that she was enjoying herself. Well, it was good…He had been enjoying himself as well. That was why they melded so well together anyway. They really genuinely enjoyed whatever it was they did together, whether it be training or "training".

He had always said that in order to be a good soldier, he or she must have a sound body, a sound heart and a sound mind.

Gale knew that although he wasn't overly in touch with his emotions the way Heat was, he also knew that he wasn't emotionally dead. He also believed that he wasn't clinically insane either. And by some unknown reason or sense of logic, Argilla had made him sound…in all three areas.

Their intimate time together had brought him a lot of insights, may it be about war and training or about human interaction in general. He had been able to feel things that weren't just plain camaraderie. He had actually been able to discover the word "desire". Desire for someone on a whole different level…

Like the way he desired her.

And the physical intimacy served as his physical training exercise; not that he was lacking it anyway…It was just an auxiliary exercise; a rather enjoyable one at that.

His attention was snapped back to reality as he heard Serph tell them to sit. They both did as they were told. He looked around and saw that they weren't alone. Heat and Cielo had been summoned as well.

The room was filled with silence. Gale was getting impatient. And so, he spoke first, "Serph. You called us here. Why?"

Argilla looked from Gale to Serph who had a faint tinge of pink on his cheeks. Serph cleared his throat, "Yes…well…I just…ugh…" he stammered.

"For Christ's sake Serph!" Heat yelled. Everyone turned their heads to look at Heat who had now stood with an angry albeit blushing face.

"We want to know your findings on the uh…current experiment." Serph finished, a blush creeping up his face.

Cielo grinned innocently, "Is that part of our training?!" he asked happily, jumping over to Gale's side and then gazing naughtily at Argilla, who, had given him a scolding look.

Gale rolled his eyes, "Unfortunately for you Cielo, no. What you had witnessed in my quarters would not be part of your training."

Cielo pouted, "Oh. Okay…"

Gale sighed; his teammates could be so childish at times. Didn't they realize that what transpired between him and Argilla was a result of intellectual intimacy that had taken another level? Didn't they understand that it was intimacy that was solely for the two of them?

And here they were; most especially Heat and Cielo, thinking that he was being selfish as if he was keeping food only to himself while everyone else was starving.

He cleared his throat and began his summary of the experiment, "Very well Serph. But I won't be explaining much to you all. Since you were all there up in the air duct, I would assume that you had heard all the explanation that I had given Argilla up to the point the three of you fell from there."

The three blushed. Cielo immediately went back to his seat, a bit disappointed.

Gale cleared his throat again, "The premise of the training exercise was to test a soldier's combat performance in the event of the absence of one or more of his or her senses. The result, as you all know," he drawled, narrowing his eyes a bit as looked intently at each of the three men's faces, "is poor performance. So,"

Here, the three men held their breaths. What did Gale plan to do now?

"I propose another program for training exercises be designed and implemented; one in which there is a handicap on the cadet's senses. That will hone the other senses to be more acute and more responsive."

Serph nodded as he carefully considered what Gale was saying. After a moment of silent deliberation, he opened his all-the-while closed eyes and looked at Gale seriously, "Aright. I grant it. But…"

"But?"

Serph looked at Cielo's hopeful eyes and then at Gale, "But I want it to be implemented only after the Trench System had been fully integrated. There are some who find the series of continuous training to be too strenuous. We, after all, want a unified, fully functional army, not a group of worn out old men and women."

Serph knew that Cielo would pour upon him complaints upon complaints upon complaints. In the end, Cielo would never let him leave until he relented. So, he'd rather save himself the trouble now rather than later.

Gale nodded, "I shall implement it afterwards. Also, the new handicap exercise coincides with the Trench System."

"How so?" Serph asked, his eyebrow arched.

Gale nodded, "Aside from the horizontal trenches, I've also ordered the digging of vertical trenches. These are called the listening posts. This is where we could put all of our mobile surveillance equipment. The trenches, as you all know are seven feet deep. It is impossible to see topside. That is why I had fire-steps installed, but even still, the visibility is relatively poor. The listening posts will enable us to listen in on the enemies on the other side of the trenches. So, basically, this is more like the training exercise Argilla and I were…practicing. We must work on our hearing abilities in the event that we lose our sight. Is there anything else?"

Serph looked from Cielo, who had a satisfied look on his facial expression to Heat who looked like he was unconvinced, "Heat? Is there anything that you'd want to ask?"

"Huh?"

Serph raised an eyebrow, "Anything at all?"

Blood rushed to his face, "Just one."

"Which is?" asked Gale nonchalantly, turning his head to look at him. Argilla, who had been silent throughout the entire discussion, glared at Heat.

Heat, in turn, looked at her, "Who is next to be at the front lines?"

Gale nodded, "I believe…it's yours and Argilla's turn. Two days and nights at guard and sentry duty within the trench frontlines."

Should he and Argilla had not had their talk before walking into Serph's office Gale may have felt a bit unpleasant at his own statement.

But like Argilla said, he shouldn't worry.

Serph didn't miss the look of appeasement within Heat's demeanor.

'Probably thinks he could get lucky with her.' Serph thought with a laugh. Oh well. But then, he had a feeling that Argilla wouldn't give him anything, much less _show_ him anything. Why would she when she obviously had made up her mind and chose Gale?

'She obviously wants someone at par or rather, someone who had greater intellectual prowess than hers.' he thought knowingly. And it wasn't a secret that Heat would clearly fail in that department.

Well, it was Heat's problem. He was just going to have to grow up and accept it. And that'll be that.

Serph thought for a moment. Gale was calm. He wasn't angry or upset. Guilt and shame suddenly crept up from within Serph's spine and onto his nerves. They had unfairly suspected and judged their comrade. They had invaded his privacy. Not just his, but Argilla's as well.

And all for what?

All because of hearsay; circumstantial evidence.

"Gale," Serph began.

"Yes Serph?" Gale replied stoically, his emerald eyes as cool and calculating as before, as if no transgression on their parts had ever occurred.

Serph forced his eyes to look at Heat, then Cielo, and then lingering on Argilla's for but a moment before returning to his cool emerald pools, "On behalf of the team, I would like to extend my sincerest apologies."

Gale raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Argilla straightened her back, intent on listening to what would transpire next.

Serph sighed and looked at Argilla as well, "I apologize to you too Argilla. We had invaded your privacy."

Argilla blushed and turned away, not having the strength to gaze upon her leader any longer.

Serph looked at Gale once more, "We did not mean to invade your privacy Gale…We had just come to…"

"Investigate the obvious discrepancy that I had in the morning that I had distributed the new protocols. You suspected me to be in league with someone, possibly from the other tribes. Heat and Cielo had gone to you to ask for your aid, to which, their concerns had brought about your sympathy, thus getting you to monitor my movements. The discovery of Argilla, though, was unexpected. Is that all?"

Heat, Cielo and Serph were all taken aback.

"How did you…?"

"I wasn't blind to the open doubts that you had that morning. Cielo would probably complain about the training schedules…But he wouldn't go to Argilla. She would just convince him to endure it. Heat, on the other hand, had also heard my indiscretion of saying the word 'we' instead of 'I'. It was probable that the two would pool together for a common complaint, which they would launch to you since you have veto power. They will not come to me; neither will I tell them anything, nor would I change the protocols…"

He paused for a while, bringing his finger to touch his forehead before resuming his talk, "So, they came to you. But it wasn't Cielo's plea that convinced you. Cielo had the tendency to whine about his complaints, dramatizing it unnecessarily. You, like Argilla would just tell him to endure it. But Heat, who is the most skeptic, would stress to you the indiscretion I had that morning. The 'we' and 'I' issue. He most probably insinuated that I have ties to different tribes. It was then, realizing the potential threat, that you had capitulated and decided to investigate me."

He sighed once more, "You all just didn't expect to see Argilla though."

Heat blinked; ashamed of himself. He really couldn't believe that he was that easy to read. Cielo blushed; he never knew he was _that_ childish. How embarrassing.

Gale then shook his head, "It's alright Serph. I understand your concern. I understand why you decided to have me investigated. Defection is something that we cannot afford. But…since you had already found what you were looking for," he said, narrowing his eyes a bit, "I hope that you and the others would give me and Argilla the benefit of the doubt next time."

Serph blushed and nodded. He couldn't think of any words to say…He was mortified beyond belief.

After a moment of silence, Serph then stood, "Okay people, you have your orders, dismissed."

Cielo stood up, scratching his head. He looked at Gale with a sheepish smile, "Sorry brudda." He then turned his attention to Argilla, "Sorry…" He quickly cast his head down; he couldn't bear to look at her now…Most especially when blood was rushing back to his face!

Heat looked at Gale for a split-second before glaring at Argilla, who in turn glared back at him, muttering a "sorry" under his breath.

Then, continuing to glower at one another, Heat and Argilla left, along with Cielo. Gale looked on after her and she looked at him back with a smile on her face, winking at him suggestively before turning the other way, walking out.

Serph chuckled; Gale may be cold and unfeeling most of the times, but there were times that he could be really showy of his feelings. Like now. He had seen the silent speech between the two. It was definitely an "I'll see you later, Lover." sort of silent interaction.

Their comrade was just a bit more eccentric than your average silent and brooding type of guy, and Serph was happy that he finally found a person that could relate to him, at least on the intelligence scale, that is.

Gale stood up the last and there, he gave the files that he had been holding to Serph, "Here are the additional data on the report if you need to know more."

Serph nodded and held the file and watched Gale as he began to walk out of the room.

Suddenly, another question popped with Serph's head, "Gale?"

"Yes Serph." Gale replied, turning back to look at his leader who had a puzzled look on his face, "What is it?"

A blush began to form on his cheeks, "Er, how did you formulate the plan for the Trench System?"

Gale grinned at him, "Playing hide and seek in the rain."

"Aa…" Serph nodded in understanding.

Gale nodded and sensing that there was nothing else that Serph was going to ask, resumed his walk and exited his office.

Serph chuckled long after he was gone, "Hide and seek eh?" He was impressed though. Gale was a genius. His ideas and imagination knew no bounds.

And the fact that he was able to piece together the parts of the scenario that led to them prying within the air ducts without so much as a hint or any data to precede it was something that was extraordinary.

That was why he was branded as the brains of their army after all.

xxxxx

FIN

xxxxx

**A/N: **

**Fire-steps:** A step along the parapet so that soldiers within the trench could open fire and shoot. The fire-step is usually about 2 to 3 feet high.


End file.
